Method of making connections in cables and the like



sept. 1, 1926. 1,599,356

' A. J. AUSPITZER METHOD OF MAKING GONNECTIONS IN CABLES AND THE LIKE Filed July 9. 1923 v 'Patented Sept. 7, 1926. UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED JOHANN AUSPITZER. OF FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN, GERMANY. ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO TRAHO METALLIC JOINT CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.` A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OF MAKING CONNECTIONS IN CABLES AND TEE LIKE.

Application filed July 9, 19723, Serial No. 650,262, and in Germany August 12, 1922.

The present invention relates to a method speak, obtained. The drawing is preferably 55 of making` connections between `rods` tubes, effected from the middle of the tubular caswires, ropes and the like, hereinafter Jfor eonine; towards the ends whereby the tube venience designated simply as bodies such lengthens at its end, and inasmuch as the ab. Cauvin pieces to be connected remain stationary The making of reliable connections betheir ends cannot be separated from each 60 tween bodies such as cables has hitherto other. It necessary the drawing appliances been etl'ected by welding. soldering, splicing, may be heated. In some cases it maybe screwing' or in a similar manner. f The dispreferable to provide the ends of the pieces advantage of welding and soldering lies in to be connected with threads, indentations, the necessity` ot heating which generally ennotches or the like, which are better adapted 65 tails a reduction in the strength ot' the conto be pressed into the tubular casing of nected parts. The remaining types ol consofter metal. By these means a still more nection do not allow of a completely intimate intimate connection can be obtained. The joining. This disadvantage easily leads to tubular casing can, of course, have any dethe destruction of the connection owingl to sired protile, it may be circular, elliptical and oxidation or other corrosive phenomena. In the like. It' additional stability and remany eases, such as for example arise in elecsistance to external influences are to be imtrical engineering. attempts are made to parted to the tubular casing it may be pro- 20 counteract these destructive effects by sub vided with a second casing of suitable masequently coatingir the joints with lacquer, terial which may if desired, also be made rubber, metal or the like or by smearing or 1n accordance with the present method. y pressing caulkinp agents thereon. These The advance attained by the new method auxiliary measures however overcome the consists, Vapart from its simplicity, in that a 25 difliculty only in a very incomplete manner. more intimate and far firmer connection can It also has been proposed to swage a sleeve be produced than was hitherto possible. into intimate contact with the ends ot cables Numerous eXperiments with aluminium to be connected. Such a method ot' connecropes, copper ropes and steel ropes have tion, however, either requires the application proved that ropes connected togetherin ac- 30 of very soft material or requires a trecordance with the present method always mendous amount. of pressure. In the case break at placesbeyond the joints. Moreof very soft metal, the connection cannot over the joints are not much thicker and not be very strong. In the case ol a sleeve of heavier than the rope itself. relatively harder metal there is, aside from In consequence ot' the characteristics of the the necessary application of large forces, the yconnections produced according tothe new danger of radial tears due to the excessive method, air and moisture cannot penetrate strains, which does not only materially im* between the drawn tubular casing and the air the strength ot the connection but also ends of the pieces to be connected. An increase increases the danger of corrosion. in corrosive phenomena, dueto various chemis 40 The present invention renders it lpossible cal or physical processes, such as'have often to make connections which are not liable to been observed in other kinds of joints are 95 any of the above mentioned disadvantages, therefore excluded, especially as the tubular by means of a simple method. This is efcasing may, if desired, be made of the samefected by introducing the ends of the pieces metal or the same alloy as that of the pieces to be connected into a metal tube, whereupon to be' connected. Moreover `permanent vibrathis tube is drawn by the reciprocating movetions and re cated expansions and contracment of suitable drawingl apparatus. By tions due to uctuations in temperature have this method it is possible, to render effective no loosening effect u on the connection, such extraordinary forces, that the materials whilst welds, soldered Joints and screw con- 50 are caused to flow and that the softer manections cannot withstand such influences teria] of the tube thus unites so intimately for. any length oi time. y A1.015

with the harder material of the objects to be The new ,method is intended` tol serve joined together that after the connection has primarily for connecting wire ropes. The

been completed a new integral body is,l soto production of such 'connections which is of l entail little cost.

The present method is also applicable to other analogous purposes, for example for connecting single wires, tubes, rods and the like. The method is of course equally applicable whether the parts to be connected are similar or dissimilar.

By way of example the method will hereinafter be described with reference, to the connection of copper ropes for an exposed 30 conductor.

The two ends of the copper ropes to be joined together are introduced into a tube l of less hardness, for instance ot softer copper, so that said ends abut, or the two ends are spliced together, and the tube is thereupon pushed over the spliced ends, in which ease one end of the rope must be inserted into the tube prior to splicing. Thereupon two draw-plates are drawn in opposite directions from the middle ot the tube towards its ends, whereby the cross section ot the tube is reduced in a known manner. During this operation the harder wires of the rope are pressed into the inner walls of the softer tubes and unite therewith so intimately that. the connection produced is of at least the same strength as the rope itself. Since this connection is uniformly intimate and without holes over the entire length of, the ends of the rope surrounded b v the tube, moisture and air cannot penetrate the same and the connection is completely protected against oxidation or corrosion.

When connecting ropes having a core of '-15 dilierent metal, for example aluminium ropes -with a steel core, the method is preferably carried outy by unraveling the outer aluminium rope and first connecting the ends of the steel care in accordance with the method of the present invention. The aluminium strands are thereupon replaced and joined together by the hereinbefore described method.

Instead of effecting the combination of the connecting tube with the pieces to be joined, by means of a draw-bench, other suitable mechanical methods such as `for example rolling, in which a reduction of the cross section is accomplished by a simultaneous alteration in length may also be employed.

Inasmuch as the hereinbefore described method contemplates principally connections which have to be made outside the @5 workshop, a drawing machine which is easily transportable and easily operable is necessary.

Such a .drawing machine is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l 1s an elevation,

Fig. 2 a plan,

Fig. 3 a section along the line A-B of Fig. l,

Fig. 4 is a view, partly in section of a portion of a connection in whichthe cablelike member is provided with transverse shoulders g Fig. 5 `is a similar view of a connection emlploying two superposed tubes, and

41g. 6 is a similar View of a connection made to the end of a cable having a longitudinal core.

A rightand lett-hand threaded spindle b1, b2, is mounted in a base a and is adapted L' to be rotated by a crank lever inserted over the square head c1, c.

On the spindle Z), 722 are mounted carriages d, and (Z2 guided upon rods m extending parallel to the spindle between the ends ot the base a. The carriages d, and d2 form the supports for female members e1 and e2 which preferably consist. of two parts separable on a horizontal plane and receive the drawplates g, and g2, respectively, which likewise consists of two parts separable in a longitudinal plane` The female members muy be clamped upon each other by bolts f, and f2.

When a connection is to be effected the female members are moved to the centre and a tube it is inserted into the draw-plate after having previously slightly reduced the cross section o1" .said tube by means of a hammer or the like. Thereupon the ends of the ropes 1, 2 are inserted into the tube z and the draw-plates are moved outwardly in opposite directions by turning the spindle.

As shown in Fig. 4l, the tubular casing l, is secured upon the end of a rod or bar n, which bar is indented at 0 to provide a shoulder extending transversely of the rod. In the drawing operation the material of the tubular casing h flows into the indentation to produce an exceedingly strong bond between the. rod and casing.

As shown in Fig. 5, the connection may be made by drawing a tube 71. upon the ends of bodies such as cables p, and subsequently drawing down a second tubular caslng L, which second casing preferably overlaps the ends ot the first/casing z.

In joining the 'ends o'fz'cables havingla.'

longitudinal'score 1^ and outer strands or groups of strands s, the connection is preferen ably made as shown in Fi 6. The outerl strands s are unravelled an turned back to permit the connection of the ends of the core 1 by a tubular casing t, and the outer strands are then replaced and a second tubular casing t is drawn over the adjacent ends of the cable.

What I claim is:

i The method of attaching a tubular connecting-element to the end of a body s'iich as a cable, wliiclifcomprises inserting the end of the cable Within lthe tubular portion of the connecting element, and piilling-the assembly through a constricted openingv te apply a local pressure circumferentially of and progressively along said tubular portion to produce a concurrent reduction in crosssection and elongation thereof, whereby the materials of the tubular portion and said body are brought into intimate interenga'gement.

2. The invention as claimed in claim 1, wherein .said deformation of said tubular portion into close engagement with said body is edected by subjecting the tubular portion to a drawing operation.

3. The method of connecting the ends of bodies such as cables by applying a tubular casing to the said ends, characterized by the tact that an intimate interengagement of the materials of said casing and said bodies is effected bv pulling the assembly through a constrictec opening to apply a local pressure circumferentially of and progressively along the casing to produce a concurrent reduction in Cross-section and elongation thereof.

4. The method of connecting` the ends of bodies such as cables by applying al tubular casing to the said ends, characterized by the fact that an intimate interengagement of the materials of 'said casing land said bodies is effected bysubjecting the casing to a drawing action.

5. The method of connecting the ends of bodies such as cables which comprises forming the peripheral surfaces of the said ends to define .shoulders i-n a longitudinal'direction, placing a tubular casing over the said ends, and subgectmg the said casing to mechanical action, causing a lengthening and a concurrent` reduction in crosssection thereof to effect an intimate interengagement of the said casing` and ythe said bodies.

6.v The method of connecting the ends'ot bodies such as cables which comprises drawing a vtubular casing over the ends to be connected and` intov intimate "interengagement therewith, and drawing a second tubular casing over and` intointerengagement with said irst casing.

7. The method cablesl having an. inner core and outer strands, which comprises removing the outer strands to expose the ends of the cores, connectingr the ends of the cores by drawing a tubular casing thereover and into intimate interengagement therewith, and drawing` a second tubular casing over the outer strands and into intimate interengagement therewith.

8. The method of connecting the ends of cables havin an inner core and outer strands, whih comprises unravelling the ends of the outer strands to expose the ends of the cores, connecting the ends of the cores by drawing a tubular casing thercover and into intimate interengagement therewith, replacing the outer strands over the ends ofthe core andtubular casing, and drawing .a second tubular casing over the said replaced ends of the outer strands and into intimate interengagement therewith.

9. The method of connecting the ends of bodies such as cables which comprises inserting the said ends into the opposite ends ot a tubular casing, and drawing the metal of said casing in opposite directions from an intermediate portlon thereof to effect an intimate interengagement between the material of said casing and of the saidends.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature. v

ALFRED JOHANN AUSPITZER. {La} of connecting the ends of 

